Scion

I guess this won’t be such a surprise as I found leaked images of the new Scion xD and xB on Car and Driver while I was surfing the automotive forums. Way to spoil the surprise, I guess Car and Driver can’t really be trusted after all. Anyways, back to the Scions. The new xD will replace the xA model. Styling on both of these new vehicles are a bit controversial perhaps, but you can’t argue with the futuristic characteristics hidden behind the designs. The xD will receive the Toyota Matrix/Corolla engine, which boasts 128-hp and is available with either a 4-speed or 5-speed automatic transmission. The xB, which looks to be borrow design from the Urban Cruiser concept Toyota released, will be more powerful, sharing the 158-horsepower 4-cylinder engine from the Scion tC. But yeah, will these vehicles really save Scion after they announced dropping sales in previous years? We’ll see. My guess is that they probably won’t climb back up.

Scion announced today that it will show the tC Release Series 3.0 at the NAIAS and will hit dealer showrooms beginning in middle of February. The tC RS 3.0 will come in a frosty Blizzard Pearl white and have aerodynamic ground effects kits. The exterior features enhancements such as darkened headlights, and a custom upper grille which matches the lower grille. The package also includes clear LED taillights with a unique gray trim.

Inside, the tC RS 3.0 has black Alcantara perforated seats against a white background. The sound system begins with a Pioneer 6-inch subwoofer with 35-watts, which completes the package with the standard 160-watt Pioneer audio system.

Only 2,500 exclusive units will be built and the tC Release Series 3.0 will have a starting price tag of $2,580 over the base price, which is $16,400 for the manual transmission and $17,200 for the automatic.

On Tuesday, October 24, Toyota announced that it was recalling the Scion tC Coupe. Almost 30,000 vehicles are affected. It seems that the side airbags may deploy if the door is slammed shut when the ignition is turned on or within 90 seconds of when the ignition is turned off.

Right now, Toyota has only received 17 reports and no accidents or deaths have been reported. Toyota will send recall notices to owners next month and the airbag sensors will be replaced at no charge.